An important factor has been overlooked in this analysis: synergy. Individuals with low income live with other people. When a group of people all start receiving a BI, their spending power will be more then the simple sum b/c they share and buy in bulk. Therefore the BI does not need to be quite as high as one might otherwise think. I have thought about the appropriate level of BI for years. The best I have been able to determine is that it should be pegged to half the minimum wage, i.e. equivalent to a 20 hour job at minimum wage, which works out to about $600/mo. I believe this strikes the right balance between work incentive and poverty prevention and also lies within the potential budget of the government at approx. $1.5 trillion per year.
Which explains why this bit FTA isn't strange at all:
"The 2014 US Poverty line is $11,670/year for an individual, and ~$4,060 for each additional person.3 It is strange to assume that some humans can live off of $11,670 and others can live off of $4,060."
An important factor has been overlooked in this analysis: synergy. Individuals with low income live with other people.
You make the assumption that they should be required to live with other people.
When a group of people all start receiving a BI, their spending power will be more then the simple sum b/c they share and buy in bulk.
So do rich couples. This is a non-sensical argument. I'd rather not keep repeating how wrong you are, but suffice to say, nobody lives on $600/month in America. Your number is simply unintelligent.
